Page 11 of The Rebel and the Rogue

The thought burst to life inside me, and I didn’t fight it this time. I wanted this fearless human female again. And again. I wanted to fuck her until I forgot to breathe…

“If you are retired, what are you doing here?” Astra asked. “Why did you not return to your home world?”

“Earth?” She laughed. “As if. There is a bounty on Rogue 5 I wish to collect. My price for the antidote is safe passage to your moon base and shelter within Astra Legion while I hunt. That is all.”

That was all?

Did she understand the risk to Astra Legion if our leader granted her request? Anyone this female hunted would also be seen as a target of Astra. If this female took shelter in our legion, wore our colors, Astra would be held accountable for anyone she hurt, anyone she killed.

And what was this small, weak female thinking, trying to hunt on Rogue 5?

Her bold declaration made my balls ache to fill her again. A bounty hunter? She was a fucking bounty hunter? And she wanted to get onto Rogue 5? Had she lost her fucking mind? The first words I’d said to her in the canteen were that she didn’t belong out here, in this area of space. She was human. Small. Weak. If she didn’t belong on Transport Station Zenith, there was no fucking way she would survive on Rogue 5. She’d be dead in a matter of hours.

Apparently, Astra was no more convinced than I. “All you want for the antidote is passage to Rogue 5 and a safe place to sleep?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“And this bounty you are hunting? Is it one of mine?”

“No, Astra. I would not insult you in that manner. The criminal I hunt runs with the Cerberus Legion. He’s a Quell dealer. He sold a bad mix to my ReCon unit. Got them all killed.”

I wrapped my fist around the blaster at my side and grimaced as it crumpled like paper under my grip. Cerberus? If they caught my lieutenant, they’d do worse than kill her. Far, far worse.

No. No. No. No…

“What is his name?” Astra asked.

“Gerian Eozara.”

I’d never heard the name, but that was no surprise. I preferred to stay away from all members of Cerberus Legion, from any legion other than Astra, for that matter. No recognition flickered on Astra’s face; therefore she was either extremely good at hiding it or she didn’t know him either. It didn’t matter, the name—they were all lawless fuckers in Cerberus.

“I know of him,” Astra said. “He is well known for cutting his product with other, less expensive, materials.”

“Less expensive? Is that what you call sending an entire ReCon unit on a bad trip?”

“I do not understand this term. Where did they take this trip?”

The human sighed, hands on her hips. “Hallucinations. Made them see things that weren’t real. Bad things. By the time the Hive showed up, they didn’t know what was real and what was the drug. Got them all killed. Every single member of my unit died that day.”

“Yet you survived.” There was a question behind Astra’s words.

“I did.” The two words held finality and didn’t invite more questions.

Guess Astra wasn’t going to get any more information from the female, information that I desperately wanted. How had she received the scars that covered her body? Had it been during this battle? How many times had she fought the Hive? ReCon units were known to infiltrate Hive infested areas and attempt rescue operations. Very dangerous work. The idea of my female…

No. Not mine. Never mine.

“I am sorry for your loss.”

“Sorry isn’t enough for me. I want Gerian’s head on a spike.”

That made my leader smile. “Understandable. I accept your offer.” Astra’s words made my body heavy as lead, but I should have known the worst was yet to come. “Assuming you have proof that what you trade is the true antidote to hybrid Forsian poison. How do I know what you offer is, indeed, the formula that made Makarios of Kronos Legion able to take a mate?”

The lieutenant crossed her arms over her chest. I knew what those lush curves looked like bare. Had watched as the soft, pink tips hardened. “I took the antidote weeks ago, when I tracked my bounty to Rogue 5.”

“Did you?” Astra’s voice sounded… intrigued. “And what proof do I have of your claim?”

My female shrugged as if Astra’s question meant nothing. She pointed to Barek. “Have the big guy here bite me. He’s part Forsian, I assume. If I’m lying, I’m dead.”

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